Gas liquefactions by multiple expansion refrigeration

• US 3,194,025 A
• Filed: 01/14/1963
• Issued: 07/13/1965
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/1963
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ugo C. Grossmann
• Original Assignee: Ugo C. Grossmann
• Inventors: Grossmann, Ugo C.
• Application Number:
  US04/251,265
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• US Class Current: 62/614
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 9/004 the refrigerant being air
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 1/0022 Hydrocarbons, e.g. natural gas
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 1/005 by expansion of a gaseous refrigerant stream with extraction of work
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 1/0072 Nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 1/0204 as a single flow SCR cycle
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 1/0268 using a dedicated refrigeration means F25J1/0296 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 2270/16 with mutliple gas expansion loops of the same refrigerant
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 2270/90 External refrigeration, e.g. conventional closed-loop mechanical refrigeration unit using Freon or NH3, unspecified external refrigeration

Claims

1. A PROCESS FOR LIQUEFYING A GAS, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES:

SUCCESSIVELY PASSING A PROCESS STREAM (1) OF SAID GAS THROUGH A PLURALITY OF FIRST INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE ZONES AND THENCE THROUGH A PLURALITY OF SECOND INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE ZONES AT A CONSTANT PRESSURE;

SUCCESSIVELY PASSING A COMPRESSED STREAM (2) OF GASEOUS REFRIGERANT THROUGH SAID FIRST HEAT EXCHANGE ZONES IN CONCURRENT FLOW TO SAID PROCESS STREAM (1);

SUCCESSIVELY PASSING AN EXPANDED STREAM (3) OF SAID REFRIGERANT THROUGH SAID FIRST HEAT EXCHANGE ZONES IN COUNTERCURRENT FLOW TO SAID PROCESS STREAM (1);

FOR EACH OF SAID FIRST HEAT EXCHANGE ZONES, PASSING A STREAM (4) OF SAID REFRIGERANT THERETHROUGH IN COUNTERCURRENT FLOW TO SAID PROCESS STREAM (1), SAID STREAM (4) BEING OBTAINED FROM SAID STREAM (2) AT A POINT IMMEDIATELY UPSTREAM OF THE LATTER ZONE, EXPANDED UPSTREAM OF THE LATTER, AND COMBINED WITH SAID STREAM (3) IMMEDIATELY DOWNSTREAM OF THE LATTER ZONE;

COMPRESSING AND COOLING THE COMBINED STREAMS (3) AND (4) WITHDRAWN FROM THE FIRST OF SAID FIRST HEAT EXCHANGE ZONES TO PROVIDE SAID STREAM (2);

EXPANDING SAID STREAM (2) WITHDRAWN FROM THE LAST OF SAID FIRST HEAT EXCHANGE ZONES AND SUCCESSIVELY PASSING THE RESULTING EXPANDED STREAM THROUGH SAID SECOND HEAT EXCHANGE ZONES FROM THE LAST TO THE FIRST THEREOF IN COUNTERCURRENT FLOW TO SAID PROCESS STREAM (1) WITH EXPANSION OF THE LATTER EXPANDED STREAM BETWEEN EACH OF SAID SECOND HEAT EXCHANGE ZONES;

EMPLOYING THE LATTER STREAM WITHDRAWN FROM THE FIRST OF SAID SECOND HEAT EXCHANGE ZONES AS SAID STREAM (3);

AND WITHDRAWING ALL OF SAID PROCESS STREAM (1) FROM THE LAST OF SAID SECOND HEAT EXCHANGE ZONES AS LIQUEFIED PRODUCT.